


Azimuthal

by Jessepinwheel



Category: Kirby (Video Games)
Genre: Cake, Fluff, Gen, Meta Knight apologizing for the plot of Squeak Squad, Post-Squeak Squad, and a trip to the bakery, poor communication kills, which could have been easily solved, with a short conversation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-19 19:16:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7374118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jessepinwheel/pseuds/Jessepinwheel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meta Knight makes reparations for his amazingly poor communication skills in Squeak Squad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Azimuthal

**Author's Note:**

> I am complete Kirby trash, and it's a crying shame that there aren't more Kirby stories (video game ones, that is. There seem to be a fair number of anime ones) so I wrote my own about the only thing I can reasonably write Kirby stories about, which is Squeak Squad.
> 
> This story takes place pretty much immediately following the events of Squeak Squad, but references some of the previous games. So there are sort of spoilers, if that's the kind of thing you worry about.
> 
> I really like Meta Knight in general because he's the only character in a given Kirby game who actually knows what's going on. I really like Kirby because his solution to any given problem is eating people and is aggressively cute.

Meta Knight was reading in his quarters and sipping tea when Axe Knight slammed the door open.

"Kirby just landed on the Halberd deck!"

Meta Knight glanced up once, then looked back down to his book and turned the page. "Okay."

"He crashed on a Warp Star and there's no way we can fend him off!" Axe Knight threw his hands into the air. "Our crew was decimated from his attack last week and the remainder is too occupied with maintaining the systems since we went back onli--" Axe Knight blinked, then looked back at Meta Knight. "Uh, sir, did you just say 'okay'?"

"Yes," Meta Knight replied. "I did."

"But sir, we can't fight Kirby off!"

Meta Knight sighed and put his book down. A shame, because he was getting to the interesting part, but he had his duty. "I'm well aware, Axe Knight. We're not fighting him today. I've been expecting him to show up."

Axe Knight deflated a bit. "I...we're not fighting Kirby? I don't have to get the main cannons online?"

"No," Meta Knight said. "Have someone let Kirby know that I'm on my way up. Try to minimize any collateral damage. Giving him a few apples might help."

"I, uh-- right!" Axe Knight bowed and snapped to a salute. "I'll get right to it, sir!"

And then he scampered off.

"Hmph," Meta Knight murmured to himself. "I suppose it's time to take responsibility for my actions."

He picked up Galaxia and made his way to the deck.

* * *

"Sir!" Mace Knight saluted as Meta Knight reached the ship's antechamber. "Kirby is on the deck! We have informed him of your arrival!"

Meta Knight nodded. "Thank you, Mace Knight. You may return to your post."

As Mace Knight left, Meta Knight sighed and took a deep breath.

He wasn't nervous, obviously. He hadn't really been nervous since...well, since before he was a knight, really. But perhaps he was a bit _apprehensive_. After all, he and Kirby had some history, and despite the increasingly expensive bills he had to pay to keep the Halberd running, he respected Kirby quite a lot.

After all, Kirby had saved Pop Star (and occasionally the universe) more times than was even remotely reasonable. And even though Kirby wasn't the best swordsman, he was respectable enough to match Meta Knight in single combat. All that, and only a child!

So, yes. Meta Knight was apprehensive. He'd expected Kirby to visit since taking the Halberd up to Gamble Galaxy. After all, _he_ would have wanted to have a discussion regarding the most recent nearly world-ending event.

But then again, this was Kirby. Who knew what that pink puffball thought?

Meta Knight exhaled and stepped outside.

* * *

Kirby was sitting in the middle of the deck with a basket of apples and a box. A number of crew members on deck seemed to be keeping an eye on him while trying to stand as far away as possible.

That was fair enough, Meta Knight supposed. Some of them had been there when Kirby downed the Halberd some years ago, to say nothing of last week's less than amicable meeting. Meta Knight waved for them to leave, which they did with considerable relief. Kirby didn't seem to notice, instead occupied with more apples.

Meta Knight took a moment to appreciate the scenery. Almost a week since he'd set the Halberd flying for the first time since crashing in the Orange Ocean, and it was still a novelty to see the clouds above and the mountains and plains below. He'd forgotten what it was like to feel the crisp air and the humming of machinery underfoot.

But alas, he was stalling.

"I heard about your encounter with Dark Nebula," Meta Knight said as he stopped next to Kirby. "Congratulations on your victory. If you hadn't succeeded, it's unlikely we could have this discussion now."

Kirby took another bite of his apple and smiled up at Meta Knight.

Right. Kirby's talents were numerous, but elocution was not one of them. It was one of the few circumstances in which Meta Knight was considered _talkative_ by comparison. Well, in that case, he would cut to the chase.

He knelt before Kirby and bowed deeply. "I offer my deepest apologies, Kirby. While you were able to banish Dark Nebula, it does not excuse my role in allowing it to be released in the first place. I should have informed you of the evil I had sealed within that chest instead of forcing you into battle and endangering the galaxy."

And that was the worst part, wasn't it? He had not only failed to protect his land, but he had nearly brought its ruin with his own rash decisions.

A traitor of the worst kind, he thought. And all because he couldn't stop to _talk_.

Kirby poked him in the forehead. "Poyo!"

Meta Knight stood. "I do not require or request your forgiveness, Kirby. I will do better in the future to protect Dreamland and Pop Star. You may judge me as you please."

Kirby looked up questioningly at him. "Poyo?"

"I am prepared for whatever punishment you decide is necessary to repent for my despicable and dishonorable actions." He lowered his head.

The last (and only) time he'd turned against Dreamland, Kirby had annihilated his crew, destroyed his ship, and sent it to the bottom of the Orange Ocean. Meta Knight had spent much of the time since then wandering aimlessly while trying to get the necessary supplies to rebuild. It was no less than he deserved.

(Then there was that Mirror disaster--yet another one of his failures. He didn't like to think about it very much.)

Kirby just looked at him for a while, perplexed, before getting up and pushing Meta Knight's head back up. "Poyo," he said, sounding somewhat distressed.

Meta Knight blinked. "I...I'm sorry, I don't understand."

Kirby picked up his box and held it out to Meta Knight. "Poyo!" he said with a smile.

"I...okay," Meta Knight replied as he took the box. It was medium-sized, small enough to hold balanced in one hand, made of plain white paperboard with a star motif on the top, which, considering Dreamland, said absolutely nothing about the contents.

Maybe it was some kind of seal, similar to the one he'd used against Dark Nebula, hundreds of years ago. Or maybe it was some kind of binding he would be forced to wear as punishment for his crimes.

Slowly, he took the lid off and--

"Kirby, this is a cake," Meta Knight said with a slight tone of disbelief.

And it was. A strawberry shortcake, in fact, with whipped topping, whole strawberries, and cinnamon sticks. There were two slices.

"You...you want me to eat this cake?" Meta Knight asked.

Kirby vigorously made some gestures to himself.

"...With you?" Meta Knight amended.

"Yeah!" Kirby shouted.

Meta Knight, for once, found himself bereft of suitable words. He wasn't a fan of sweets, but a cake was hardly _punishment_. Especially for someone like Kirby, who--

"You didn't fly up to the Halberd to talk about me almost destroying the world by proxy at all, did you?" Meta Knight asked flatly. "You...you came here to eat a cake. With me."

Kirby smiled. "Snack time!"

Meta Knight sighed. To say that this was not the judgement he had been expecting was an understatement. He'd imagined banishment or having to rescind his knighthood. At the very least having to pay reparations of some sort.

Kirby tugged on Meta Knight's cape.

Meta Knight blinked and looked down. Kirby was very insistently holding out a fork.

"All right," Meta Knight said as he took the fork and sat down next to Kirby. It would be rude to decline, after all, especially under these circumstances.

As Kirby dug into his slice, Meta Knight lifted his mask and took a bite out of his cake. It was good, he noted with some surprise. The cream was smooth and fluffy, the cake appropriately spongy and not too sweet, and the strawberries fresh with just a hint of tartness. For a puffball that ate everything up to and including bombs, rocks, and insects, Kirby had phenomenal taste.

This wasn't so bad, Meta Knight thought as he let Kirby steal the strawberry off the top of his cake. Certainly better than anything he'd had in mind, but if Kirby didn't want to punish him as he deserved, who was he to argue?

He took another bite out of his cake and ignored the sounds of Axe Knight and Mace Knight by the antechamber door taking pictures.


End file.
